The 40-yard dash, three-cone "L" drill and shuttle run, among other workouts, received daily devotion. For a former Gonzaga starting point guard turned Baylor starting cornerback, the final preparations in advance of the biggest day of Goodson's football life were essential.

Every extra inch, pound and tenth of a second count. A minuscule gain could help light up Goodson's phone May 9 or 10 during the middle rounds of the draft. An unexpected fall - a flat 40-yard-dash time, a lack of precision in lateral-quickness drills - could soon turn Goodson into just another unsigned rookie free agent.

Goodson wants not only to break 4.4 seconds in the 40 but to hit at least 4.38, finally shooting his name onto mock draft boards. He's primed for 14 repetitions in the bench press, aiming to clear 225 pounds on each lift and proving to scouts his 5-11, 197-pound frame is perfect for a copycat league, which will seek to mimic the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks' oversized Legion of Boom secondary. His body is strong but lean. His mind is calm.

Goodson hit a buzzer-beating game-winner for the Bulldogs as a college freshman in 2009, sending Gonzaga to the Sweet 16. Now, he must prove back-to-back season-ending injuries with the Bears in 2011-12 are truly in the past and that his potential to become a mid-round riser in the 2014 draft will pay off if a team takes a chance on an athlete who crossed over sports.

Pro day also vital

"I feel great right now," Goodson said. "I feel light, but I feel strong. This is definitely the best shape I've been since I started playing."

Arnold refuses to place too much emphasis on the combine. Since Goodson began fine-tuning his body and talents at Plex - breaking down the six combine drills in minute detail and building up his physique and mind as each day passes - Baylor's pro day in March has always received more emphasis. But if Goodson can make waves in Indy, his attempt to follow two brothers into the NFL and shake off a life filled with heartbreak and personal setback suddenly will become more realistic.

The combine won't break Goodson. But it could make him.

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Part 2: The first test

Demetri Goodson quit football after his sophomore year at Klein Collins, spent three years as a Gonzaga point guard and then started at cornerback for Baylor in 2013 during the best season in school history. Now, Goodson is attempting to become a rising prospect in the 2014 NFL draft, going from a borderline draftee to a second-day pick. The Chronicle will follow Goodson's four-month journey in an ongoing series.

"Everything is about to peak," Arnold said. "Now we're fine-tuning things and starting to put it together."

He added: "The only thing that can hurt him is himself being too tight."

Unexpected levity

Goodson was perfectly loose on Friday. Another workout started at 9 a.m. As a crew of boxers jumped on tires and then turned the rubber into platforms for leaning pushups, Goodson sweated through a tight long-sleeved Baylor shirt and New York Jets shorts. By 10:30, Plex's back door had been opened to the mid-February sun, and Goodson sprinted outside.

Warming up to break down a specific section of the combine's speed-turn drill, Goodson accidentally backpedaled over a wood beam, tumbling over his head and falling into sand.

"Nobody saw that, right?" Goodson said.

Arnold did, outlaughing his draft project.

Then Goodson was sprinting again, running off eight long strides before suddenly switching sides and continuing to burn.

"When he first got (to Baylor), it was all bad," said former Bears cornerback K.J. Morton, who worked out Friday with Goodson and will participate in Baylor's pro day. "But just watching the reps and watching the progress, it was like, man. I always told Coach (Art Briles) even though (Goodson) doesn't have the technique and everything, it's effort, and he had it. Once he put everything together, it was amazing to watch him grow."

Goodson quit football in 2005. He picked the game up six years later after leaving Gonzaga behind. He'll arrive Thursday in Indianapolis, hoping to prove to the NFL he was born to play the sport to which he's devoting his life.

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